A suit crafted from bespoke Ayrshire lace has been created by ECA’s Professor Mal James and showcased at a prestigious exhibition in Arizona.
Loom to Form was created with undyed Scottish Madras lace, designed for the project by MYB Textiles. It reimagines a traditional Harris tweed suit, integrating classic Scottish knitwear patterns. The work highlights a blend of heritage, craft, technology, and contemporary textile innovation, inviting audiences to reflect on the evolving role of heritage, merged with changing technologies, through the lens of fashion. It challenges conventional uses of lace and engages with themes of gender, tailoring, and power dynamics, within a Scottish cultural and fashion context.
The suit was exhibited, displayed on an upcycled net exoskeleton, as part of the international Responsible Fashion Series Event held at Arizona State University in Phoenix.
Founded in 1900 in Ayrshire’s Irvine Valley, MYB Textiles is a stalwart of Scottish textile heritage. As the world's sole producer of patterned lace on original Nottingham Lace Looms, the company maintains a unique position by marrying traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, to produce bespoke designs.
The suit was exhibited alongside two significant MYB lace pieces. Lydia Lace is a design dating back to 1936 and named after Lydia Mitchell, daughter of loom engineer Joseph Hood. Zellige is a contemporary, computerised lace design that showcases MYB’s modern capabilities. These pieces express the delicate balance between preserving heritage and embracing technological advancements.
Mal said: “Working on this project was incredible, seeing the new lace design come straight off the loom and being woven. The specific challenge was turning it into a suit since the soft nature of lace isn't usually suited for this. It was a technically challenging process, where I had to incorporate new making methods, diverging from tradition. The construction took four months, alongside my teaching and University commitments.
“Working with MYB Textiles was and remains an enriching experience. They are generous on all levels, very collaborative, and supported me at every stage.”
It marks a significant milestone in a broader collaboration with MYB Textiles, which will culminate in a showcase at V&A Dundee in 2027. The exhibition will feature creative responses from a wide range of designers, academics, and external creatives, reimagining MYB lace as new products, from jewellery to wearables to textiles, AI to lace robotics.
The creation of Loom to Form benefited from an Advancing Impact Award from the University of Edinburgh’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Mal said: “Without the impact award, I would not have been able to take this work internationally. It has helped me establish potential international partnerships for my project. It allowed me to test exhibition display methods in advance of the V&A Dundee exhibition in 2027 and receive audience feedback on how the project is received and understood.”
